Messi seemed to turn the shock and anger from moments earlier into killing intent, pouring it all into the opponent's goal.
Messi scored five goals, showing off the prowess of a top-class striker.
Griezmann scored twice, and Li Mingyu added a spectacular bicycle kick.
In the end, reduced to ten men, Real Valladolid conceded eight goals against an enraged Barca.
However, the next day's headlines did not focus on Messi's five-goal haul, Griezmann's brace, or Barca's 8–0 thrashing of Real Valladolid.
Instead, all eyes were on that foul.
It had been so shocking. What on earth was Li Mingyu's Achilles tendon made of? How could it be so tough?
He had been scythed down from behind, yet emerged without a scratch. It was nothing short of divine protection!
After substituting Li Mingyu, Barca had immediately sent him to the hospital for an examination, afraid something might be wrong.
When the results came back, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He was indeed fine.
When Barca's players heard the news, they too let out a huge sigh of relief, then stared at Li Mingyu with strange looks.
The foul had been carefully analyzed frame by frame from every angle.
Almost every commentator and player interviewed said they couldn't believe Li Mingyu had come away unhurt.
The footage clearly showed just how forceful the tackle had been. It was nothing like the minor clip everyone had assumed.
The player had driven his boot straight into Li Mingyu's Achilles tendon, and the tremendous impact had sent him flying.
When footage of this stomach-churning foul spread online, it immediately provoked widespread outrage.
How could a move like that have any place in football? It was practically attempted murder!
People analyzed the incident from every angle, but no one could explain why Li Mingyu was unharmed. In the end, they put it down to luck. Perhaps the goddess of fortune had taken a liking to the handsome Li Mingyu and helped him escape disaster.
Though Li Mingyu had escaped disaster, Olaza, Real Valladolid's right back, soon received the Spanish Football Federation's punishment.
A five-match suspension and a personal fine of 100,000 euros.
The 100,000 euros were no big deal, but the five-match suspension effectively sealed Real Valladolid's fate for the season.
Without their starting fullback, Real Valladolid's fight to avoid relegation would only get harder.
But neither Real Valladolid nor Olaza appealed the decision.
A five-match suspension was already lenient by the federation's standards. Perhaps Olaza had received only five matches because Li Mingyu hadn't suffered serious injuries.
If Li Mingyu had been seriously hurt, Barca's pressure would likely have resulted in a suspension that broke records.
After that match, Li Mingyu had learned his lesson. He realized that he'd been too arrogant when dribbling past opponents in the previous game. His humiliating tricks had enraged his opponent and led to that final, vicious challenge.
He was still too young.
After picking up so many dribbling skills, Li Mingyu couldn't resist showing them off during matches. But he hadn't known where to draw the line, and his opponent had nearly ended his career.
Even Ronaldo and Ronaldinho used plenty of flashy moves during matches, but they were rarely targeted with dirty fouls. That was because they knew where to draw the line.
Dribbling moves were meant to get past opponents, not to show off.
That was an important distinction.
Take Neymar, who had since left Barca. Opponents often kept a close eye on him, and dirty fouls were frequently used against him.
Some people might say that was just because the opponents couldn't take the pressure.
There was no doubt about Neymar's skill, and his dribbling was beautiful, but most of his moves were unnecessary.
He often wasted a great attacking opportunity with one needless trick.
When Cristiano Ronaldo played for Manchester United, he was known for his dazzling footwork and was often targeted by opponents.
But his manager, Ferguson, repeatedly told him to cut out those useless flourishes and release the ball quickly.
Little by little, Cristiano Ronaldo stopped relying on flashy footwork and began playing a more practical style of football. That was how he achieved his success.
So dribbling didn't need to be flashy. Practicality was what mattered.
During training matches, Li Mingyu began keeping his dribbling simple and crisp, focusing on releasing the ball quickly.
That made the defenders even more frustrated.
Koeman had also noticed Li Mingyu's progress and nodded with a smile.
Time flew by, and the weekend came around again.
The entire Barca squad flew to San Mames Stadium.
San Mames Stadium was one of La Liga's most notorious fortresses.
Athletic Bilbao was a famous team in Spain.
Founded in 1898, it was the second-oldest club in Spain, with a long history.
But much of its fame came from the fact that, even in an era when signing players from elsewhere was commonplace, Athletic Bilbao still adhered to its ancient rules. It recruited only in the Basque region, determined to preserve the purity of its team's heritage.
The consequence of this "stubbornness" was that Athletic Bilbao had lost any chance of winning major titles.
After all, it was hard to believe a team that relied solely on players from one region could even remain in La Liga.
Still, this "stubbornness" had its advantages. No other team could match Athletic Bilbao's unity. The players stood together, and the fans wholeheartedly supported the club's choices, staying loyal even when the team had once dropped out of La Liga. They never abandoned their principles.
Athletic Bilbao was one of La Liga's most hard-nosed teams and was known as a giant killer. Almost every superstar who played there had a bad day.
This match was seen as a grudge match.
Two months earlier, in the Spanish Super Cup final, Barcelona had faced Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona had taken the lead twice, only for their opponents to fight back and equalize both times. Then, in extra time, Athletic Bilbao scored a last-gasp winner, snatching away the year's first trophy from Barcelona.
What made that match such a huge talking point afterward was that Messi had received his first red card for Barca.
Now, facing Athletic Bilbao again, how would Messi respond?
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